ENCINO, Calif. — After hearing the news of Kobe Bryant's death Sunday morning, Lynn Perez says she was in shock and disbelief and felt like she had to do something with her grief.

“I couldn't stay at home any more crying. I had to come out. I was in shock and disbelief. I’m heartbroken,” Perez said. 

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She used a few bottles of nail polish to create a sign that said “Honk for Kobe. RIP.” She took it along with her favorite number 8 Lakers jersey — one she waved at motorists while standing on a pedestrian bridge over the 101 freeway in Encino.

The honks of cars and trucks passing by was acknowledgment that Perez had a lot of company in her grief.

“Everybody's brokenhearted and everybody's shattered and just I think still in shock numb and in disbelief about what we lost today,” Perez said.

She first became a Lakers fan when Kobe joined the team in 1996 and his personality and spirit won her over.

“We will probably never have another one like him," she said. "There will be other great players, but not with the same great energy, the happiness that he displayed, and that he portrayed every single time we saw him.”

One driver who saw Perez on the bridge pulled over and came up to give her a hug. 

“I just wanted to say thank you and I appreciate that you’re out here,” the woman said as she sobbed and wiped away tears.

Bryant's work ethic never ceased to amaze Perez.

“He was pure, he was honest, dedicated, motivated. Just great,” she said.

Perez spent hours slowing down traffic on the 101 Sunday. And says she hopes city officials will rename the Las Virgenes exit in Calabasas near the helicopter crash site in Kobe Bryant’s honor.